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@nummanali (2026-07-26) says start with a problem you have and build the smallest…

2026-07-26 · 20:09 UTC ·@nummanali ·1 min read

Brief

Author @nummanali (2026-07-26) provides ten concrete rules for building an open-source portfolio: start from your own problem, keep projects tiny (one hour/week), use maintenance-friendly practices, respond to feedback within 48 hours, engage with every interaction, release on X and Reddit, limit to three concurrent projects, and treat repos as products you care about.

Why it matters

@nummanali (2026-07-26) says start with a problem you have and build the smallest project you can maintain with one hour per week, using agentic practices to make ongoing maintenance feasible — approach used to grow OpenSkills, CC Mirror and other projects.

Key details

  • Community cadence: act on feedback within 48 hours, reply to every interaction related to your projects, and publish focused releases only on X and Reddit.
  • Product rules: treat each project like a product (put heart into every part), limit active work to no more than three projects at a time, and stop when there’s nothing more to build.
Source evidence

Tips for creating an Open Source portfolio

  1. Always start with a problem you have yourself, otherwise you won’t keep motivation

  2. Start with the smallest project that you can maintain with one hour a week

  3. Act on feedback very fast, within 48 hours to keep your project active

  4. Treat your project(s) like it is a product, put heart into every part

  5. Your README should be short, clear and tell a progressive story

  6. Ensure you have agentic practices in place to make maintenance easier

  7. Don’t work on more 3x at a time, it’s not sustainable

  8. Know when to stop, if there’s nothing more to build then don’t

  9. Do releases on X and Reddit - nowhere else, focused drops

  10. Reply to every interaction in relation to the projects and you

That’s the rules I used to grow OpenSkills, CC Mirror and multiple other projects

If you remember one thing, it’s to do it with heart and have fun